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Category: Culture
What is your country’s fireworks day?
Greece: Easter. The tradition involves celebratory gunfire in the churchyard at Easter Midnight Mass. The modern manifestation of that is fireworks being let off in the packed churchyard at Easter Midnight Mass. Both in Greece/Cyprus, and in the diaspora. The news each year reports people being injured (or killed) as a result; my sister has […]
Does language play any significant role in shaping national identity?
Language plays a huge role in shaping national identity, as any European knows. But from OP’s details, their question is really more, how does national identity get shaped in the absence of a distinct language? If it’s a sufficient but not a necessary condition, how do such countries get their own identity? Let’s go shopping. […]
Why are Greek cities so ugly?
As usual, there is a better answer than this answer. Vote #1 Yiannis Papadopoulos: Yiannis Papadopoulos’ answer to Why are Greek cities so ugly? Two factors that have to be added though: The deluge of refugees coming to Greece in 1924. Athens was a beautiful city in the 19th century, as you can tell if […]
What was the reason people created the Europe Idea while it is not separate from Asia?
What people created the notion of Europe? Ancient Greeks. Where did the Ancient Greeks live? On the border between Asia and Europe. The Ancient Greeks had not circumnavigated the Arctic (and they didn’t believe a word Pytheas said). The Ancient Greeks did not know anything about the Urals. The Ancient Greeks did not even know […]
Why are Greeks so extreme nationalist?
OP is Albanian, and I’m not surprised he got attitude from Greek-Americans. Dimitris Almyrantis is a Greece Greek, and I’ll presume he hasn’t spent time in Australia or America. That is not intended as a veiled attack on Dimitris, whom I esteem even when I disagree with him. (Especially when I disagree with him!) But […]
What is your favorite proverb from your culture or country? What country is it from?
I did a rich assortment of off-colour Greek proverbs over at Nick Nicholas’ answer to What are some weird expressions? A tuthree more off-colour sayings. Which I’ve actually tried to use in English, with decidedly mixed results. Τα μεταξωτά βρακιά θέλουν και επιδέξιους κώλους. Silk undies require agile arses. One must be equipped to handle […]
What are some human-made things you dislike or like that are present in South (and West) Cyprus?
This actually isn’t my own dislike, but it’s a dislike that really struck me. My father left Cyprus in 1966. He was in tears the day that Archbishop Makarios III died. I’ve only been back to Cyprus twice, in 1979 and 1989, and briefly and superficially at that. So I don’t have a clear notion […]
In languages with formal/informal pronouns, do people explicitly tell you to switch pronouns?
Modern Greek speakers tend to squirm when addressed in the politeness plural, unless they are deliberately being high and mighty. The politeness plural connotes negative, not positive politeness to them, and emphasises social distance. Greeks don’t like social distance, they like being friendly and in your face. The exception these days would be officialdom and […]
Why was hospitality so important in the Greek world?
My answer is more a gut-feel from Modern Greek practice, but I suspect it applies to antiquity as well. Dimitris Almyrantis perceptively identifies the (or at least an) underlying reason: avoidance of retribution. Cernowain Greenman identifies the surface reason: code of honour. The modern Greek code of honour (How do I translate the Greek word […]
Why do we use number 5, in some Greek words: “You left me in 5 streets or in 5 winds”, “You are 5 (times?) orphan”, “5 t. beautiful”?
Vote #1 David Caune. Excellent and wide-ranging answer. David Caune’s answer to Why do we use number 5, in some Greek words: “You left me in 5 streets or in 5 winds”, “You are 5 (times?) orphan”, “5 t. beautiful”? I’ll add some Greek-specific details. Modern Greek uses a few numbers to mean “lots”; they […]